Support the right to housing

Homes For All

The housing crisis is an issue for everyone and the greatest single challenge facing society.

As house prices spiral beyond people on average and low incomes, many can no longer afford a home of their own. Soaring rents have also put huge financial strain on workers, students and their families. Overall, the rental sector is characterised by poor quality accommodation and no security of tenure.

It is a major issue for women as our rate of female homelessness is now double that of other EU states and more than 60% of homeless families are headed by lone parents, the majority of whom are women.

Meanwhile, housing waiting lists grow ever longer and homeless numbers are at record levels. Thousands are crowded into unsuitable accommodation, with families forced to raise children in hotel rooms and other emergency dwellings.

But there is a solution. Last October, the Dail overwhelming passed an opposition party motion that set out a number of keys measures to address the crisis:

Declare a Housing Emergency

Invest in a major programme of public housing construction, through local authorities

This right to housing currently exists in more than 81 countries worldwide.

This is a critical measure that would help resolve the current housing emergency and ensure that everybody can access decent quality accommodation, suitable to their needs.

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march 2019

Contrary to international human rights obligations, investment in housing in the Republic of Ireland has disconnected housing from its core social purpose of providing people with a place to live in with security and dignity.

UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Housing, Leilani Farha / Read Full Text